UFC 170 Results: Updating Women's Bantamweight Rankings

UFC 170 Results: Updating Women's Bantamweight Rankings

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Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 170 was a big night for women's MMA, as two fights in the women's bantamweight division graced the card. The big one headlined the whole card, as Ronda Rousey defended her title against Sara McMann.

In a turn of events that was not foreseen coming into this bout, Rousey beat McMann not with her patented armbar but with a crippling knee to the liver. It was a controversial stoppage in that it may have been too quick, but history now shows that Rousey won via TKO.

In the aftermath of this historic event, here are the updated women's bantamweight rankings in the UFC.

10. Jessica Andrade

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Last Fight: Decision win vs. Rosi Sexton

Next Fight: vs. Raquel Pennington at UFC 171

Jessica Andrade looked like a mini, old-school Wanderlei Silva in her last fight against Rosi Sexton. She hopes to continue that comparison with her home run punches and chin of granite.

She is 1-1 with the UFC. After an admirable performance where she lost to Liz Carmouche on late notice, Andrade came back and smashed Sexton in her follow-up bout.

She fights next month in Dallas at UFC 171. She was supposed to fight Juliana Pena, but a horrific injury pulled Pena from that bout. Now she takes on fellow brawler Raquel Pennington in what could be a fight of the night.

9. Amanda Nunes

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Felipe Dana/Associated Press

Last Fight: Knockout win vs. Germaine de Randamie

Next Fight: TBD

Amanda Nunes seems to be the dark horse of the women's bantamweight division, as she is already 2-0 with the UFC with impressive performances under her belt.

She opened her UFC tenure with a quick ground-and-pound clinic of Sheila Gaff before doing a similar thing to Germaine de Randamie. She has added a good takedown arsenal to her already solid striking attack, which could fuel her run toward a title shot.

She is still probably a couple of wins away from the title picture. However, if she keeps running through the competition, the heads of the company will have to take notice.

8. Liz Carmouche

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Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

Last Fight: Decision loss vs. Alexis Davis

Next Fight: vs. Miesha Tate at UFC on Fox 11

Former title challenger Liz Carmouche has fallen on hard times as of late, but she is still one of the best female 135-pounders in the world.

She entered the UFC with the first-ever female title fight against Ronda Rousey but tapped out in the first round. She would recover with a win over Jessica Andrade, but her last bout saw her get decimated by Alexis Davis in every aspect of the fight.

Carmouche is tough but needs a win in her next bout. That may prove tough, as she takes on former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate, who also needs a win.

7. Sarah Kaufman

Sarah Kaufman had her last fight with Jessica Eye turned to a no-contest, which effectively took a loss off her record. However, she still needs an impressive fight in her next outing to regain fans' confidence.

She could easily be on a three-fight skid had she not run into certain circumstances. She was tapped out by Ronda Rousey for the Strikeforce championship, won a controversial decision over Leslie Smith in Invicta and had a loss turned into a no-contest against Eye.

She really needs to restore confidence in her next bout against Shayna Baszler. The two already met in 2009, when Kaufman took a decision. This will be a pivotal bout for the Canadian.

6. Jessica Eye

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Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Last Fight: Decision loss vs. Alexis Davis

Next Fight: TBD

Jessica Eye could be 2-0 with the UFC right now, but things have not gone her way.

Eye edged out Sarah Kaufman in her debut with the company, but a drug test snafu took away that win. Then at UFC 170, she dropped a split decision to Alexis Davis in a bout that many though Eye should have won 29-28.

Her move up from flyweight has been somewhat successful so far. However, she will be in desperate need of a win next time out. She is a popular fighter with a cult following and has shown to be a very good striker.

5. Miesha Tate

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Last Fight: Submission loss vs. Ronda Rousey

Next Fight: vs. Liz Carmouche at UFC on Fox 11

Miesha Tate holds two distinctions when it comes to fighting Ronda Rousey. She was the first person to last more than a minute with the champ, as well as the only person to leave the first round.

She actually raised her stock in a loss to Rousey for her grit and effort in that three-round bout. While she eventually succumbed to an armbar, she gained a lot of respect in the interim.

She needs a win desperately in her next bout, though. She is 1-3 in her last four and has a tough opponent in Liz Carmouche at UFC on Fox 11.

4. Sara McMann

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Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Last Fight: TKO loss vs. Ronda Rousey

Next Fight: TBD

Sara McMann got throttled after early promise in her title bout with Ronda Rousey. That liver-shot loss should not reflect too much on McMann, as it may be a case of too much, too soon.

She still is the best wrestler in women's MMA right now and will need to prove that in her next fight. She may have been blinded by the bright lights of the main event, so we will give her a pass on that performance.

It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. I think she can beat most of the women in the division, which could build her back up to another title shot once she starts steamrolling the competition.

3. Alexis Davis

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Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Last Fight: Decision win vs. Jessica Eye

Next Fight: TBD

Alexis Davis could be the next in line for Ronda Rousey. It makes sense from the standpoint that she is 3-0 in the UFC.

She has notched wins over Rosi Sexton, Liz Carmouche and most recently Jessica Eye. Her win over Eye, despite the fact it was controversial, showed us glimpses of her strong ground game—something that could be competitive with Rousey's grappling.

We will see if she gets a title shot. Cat Zingano is still in the title picture, as are several others, so it'll be interesting to see where Davis goes from here.

2. Cat Zingano

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Last Fight: Knockout win vs. Miesha Tate

Next Fight: TBD

Cat Zingano is in a tough place right now. Between a knee injury that has put her on the shelf for an extended period of time and her husband's passing, she hasn't seen action since beating Miesha Tate.

Fans are pulling for Zingano, as she is a sparkling personality and a fighter of integrity. That said, we don't know when she'll come back to the cage, but one has to think she still has a title shot on the table.

For now, we wait with anxiety. She is truly a gifted MMA fighter and one of the best female competitors in the world.

1. Ronda Rousey

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Last Fight: TKO win vs. Sara McMann

Next Fight: TBD

Ronda Rousey has added a new dimension to her game with a body shot TKO of Sara McMann. It was her first non-armbar win in MMA.

I don't necessarily think that she has become a striker now, but it was interesting to see her drop a fighter with a liver shot. This may be a case of her being a better striker than McMann, as McMann is foremost a wrestler who relies on the takedown in her fights.

Rousey has a couple of challengers on deck to fight her. Officially in the UFC, Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano have to be considered the front-runners for Rousey, so expect one of them to headline opposite Rousey in her next fight.